Chronology: Yemen

Chronology: Yemen

Article excerpt

JuI. 16: A Yemeni military court sentenced 12 intelligence officers to prison for terms ranging from eight months to three years for negligence in allowing the escape of 23 alleged al-Qa'ida suspects from a central intelligence prison in Sana'a in February. Nine of the 23 fugitives were captured or gave themselves up, but the three regarded as the most dangerous did not. [GN, 7/16]

Aug. 25: During a clash in the al-Jawf province between supporters of the incumbent General People's Congress, and the opposition Islamist group Islah, three people were killed. The clash was triggered by a dispute over electoral campaigns for the upcoming September 20 elections. [BBC, 8/25]

Sept. 11: Four French tourists were abducted while traveling in a tourist convoy en route to Aden in the southeastern Shabwa province. Local officials claimed the tourists were kidnapped by 'Abdullah bin Daham tribesmen who wanted to pressure the government to release family members from prison. The French embassy in Yemen told the Associated Press that it had been in contact with the abductees who reportedly were in good health. [BBC, 9/11]

Sept. 12: Fifty people were trampled to death at a pre-election rally held in the southern Ibb province where presidential hopeful and incumbent 'AIi 'Abdullah Salih delivered a pre-election speech. The 238 injured were largely school children and teenagers who had been bused in by the government to attend the rally. [Al-Jazeera, 9/12, NYT, 9/13]

Sept. 13: The Yemeni tribesmen responsible for the abduction of four French tourists on September 11 threatened to kill their captives if their demands were not met. Yemeni officials had deployed in an attempt to free the captives but were unsuccessful. [Al-Jazeera, 9/13]

Sept. 15: Yemeni officials announced that they foiled two suicide attacks on oil facilities in the Hadhramaut region and in Marib, during which four attackers and a security guard were killed. The attacks came days after Ayman al-Zawahiri, one of al-Qa'ida's top leaders, threatened to target oil installations in the Middle East. [NYT, 9/16]

Sept. 17: Rashad al-Alimi, Yemen's Interior Minister, said that security forces had arrested four suspects believed to be responsible for the thwarted attacks on oil installations on September 15. …